On Monday, March 29th, Social Fresh, a social media marketing and events company, is giving Portland the opportunity to meet and hear industry leaders discuss the purpose, benefits and tools necessary to succeed within social media.

TMMPDX was fortunate enough to catch up with Social Fresh speaker and Intel social media strategist, Bryan Rhoads. Below is a sneak peak into his presentation and some predictions for the future!

Tell us a bit about the topic of your upcoming presentation at Social Fresh.

I’m in a unique position to review a Fortune 50 brand’s evolution and experimentation w/ social and digital marketing innovations. It’s a look back on why/when/how Intel expanded our online offerings to meet new customer and technology demands. My main point is that it’s a “reactive progression” rather than always deliberate or strategic. With 20/20 hindsight, we have the luxury to reexamine our progression and adoption of social approaches. As such, I hope that others who are looking at social approaches now can learn from our successes and setbacks.

Since Social Fresh is a conference all about social media, are you planning on integrating social media platforms in anyway?

I’d like to think that we are very integrated. In don’t view them as platforms, but as capabilities and dials that a business can leverage to connect with audiences depending business and audience needs. I help to build and enable longer-term properties or “platforms” ready for integration based on needs.

We’re approaching or have reached a point where I hope we discontinue the term “social media” as a separate endeavor. Solid digital marketing requires almost all of its components to realize the social transformation of the web. All web and PR departments should re-look and take their publishing processes away from “publish and pray” to “engage in real-time” as active online communications.

How has social media changed your conference experience? Do you find Twitter to be a distraction or a good BS meter?

Twitter is a god send to conferences and so many other events. I wish that I’d get accolades and that others are not afraid to question and/or call my presentations crap… if my talk/presentation or class is crap, please let me know. I’ll simply improve it. I (sometimes) love all feedback, even if it smarts… J

What are the top new tools that all social media marketers need to be keeping an eye on?

I like trends as opposed to tools… One trend or the elephant in the room is China. Social computing is much more dynamic in Asia and the PRC. One small example is Farmville for instance. Its from China, most people don’t realize that. Keep an eye out for low-signal to noise from Asia to discover what’s next. Mobile social media is also what’s next… mobile usage models are moving very fast and the next social networking platforms will surely be native to mobile as opposed to the Facebooks and Twitters that are based on sedentary usage models… they’re trying to adapts w/ apps, but the next and perhaps real mainstream experience will come from very smart mobile devices in the next year or two.

Can you give us a sneak peak into any new social media strategies at Intel? What lessons can small business owners learn from the big guys?

More integration, more global and more mobile. I also look for more “value-exchange” opportunities where customers and the business gain from social interaction. That’s where I really get excited. What are those experiences and those solutions where everyone betters themselves? An example is “Back to School” – i.e. students all over the world need better computing… and Intel is better computing. Is there a social program where we can help the world upgrade entire populations of students and school systems? How cool would that be? We build the most complex tools ever devised by humans… let’s bring that power to the next billion people on the planet. For the betterment of students, society and our planet as a whole. That’s my goal.

On Monday, March 29th, Social Fresh, a social media marketing and events company, is giving Portland the opportunity to meet and hear industry leaders discuss the purpose, benefits and tools necessary to succeed within social media.

TMMPDX was fortunate enough to catch up with Social Fresh speaker and Intel social media strategist, Bryan Rhoads. Below is a sneak peak into his presentation and some predictions for the future!

Tell us a bit about the topic of your upcoming presentation at Social Fresh.

I’m in a unique position to review a Fortune 50 brand’s evolution and experimentation w/ social and digital marketing innovations. It’s a look back on why/when/how Intel expanded our online offerings to meet new customer and technology demands. My main point is that it’s a “reactive progression” rather than always deliberate or strategic. With 20/20 hindsight, we have the luxury to reexamine our progression and adoption of social approaches. As such, I hope that others who are looking at social approaches now can learn from our successes and setbacks.

Since Social Fresh is a conference all about social media, are you planning on integrating social media platforms in anyway?

I’d like to think that we are very integrated. In don’t view them as platforms, but as capabilities and dials that a business can leverage to connect with audiences depending business and audience needs. I help to build and enable longer-term properties or “platforms” ready for integration based on needs.

We’re approaching or have reached a point where I hope we discontinue the term “social media” as a separate endeavor. Solid digital marketing requires almost all of its components to realize the social transformation of the web. All web and PR departments should re-look and take their publishing processes away from “publish and pray” to “engage in real-time” as active online communications.

How has social media changed your conference experience? Do you find Twitter to be a distraction or a good BS meter?

Twitter is a god send to conferences and so many other events. I wish that I’d get accolades and that others are not afraid to question and/or call my presentations crap… if my talk/presentation or class is crap, please let me know. I’ll simply improve it. I (sometimes) love all feedback, even if it smarts… J

What are the top new tools that all social media marketers need to be keeping an eye on?

I like trends as opposed to tools… One trend or the elephant in the room is China. Social computing is much more dynamic in Asia and the PRC. One small example is Farmville for instance. Its from China, most people don’t realize that. Keep an eye out for low-signal to noise from Asia to discover what’s next. Mobile social media is also what’s next… mobile usage models are moving very fast and the next social networking platforms will surely be native to mobile as opposed to the Facebooks and Twitters that are based on sedentary usage models… they’re trying to adapts w/ apps, but the next and perhaps real mainstream experience will come from very smart mobile devices in the next year or two.

Can you give us a sneak peak into any new social media strategies at Intel? What lessons can small business owners learn from the big guys?

More integration, more global and more mobile. I also look for more “value-exchange” opportunities where customers and the business gain from social interaction. That’s where I really get excited. What are those experiences and those solutions where everyone betters themselves? An example is “Back to School” – i.e. students all over the world need better computing… and Intel is better computing. Is there a social program where we can help the world upgrade entire populations of students and school systems? How cool would that be? We build the most complex tools ever devised by humans… let’s bring that power to the next billion people on the planet. For the betterment of students, society and our planet as a whole. That’s my goal.

Lisa PeytonLisaPeytonlisa@tmmpdx.comAdministratorLisa is a leader in the field of digital marketing. Based in Portland, OR, she serves as executive editor at TMMPDX.COM and teaches digital strategy at Portland State University. Her services include social media coaching, content strategy and digital marketing consulting.Thoroughly Modern Marketing